


Is This Ours?

by Evil_Sapphyre



Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Dates, F/M, Fluff, Profanity, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 16:26:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11339112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Sapphyre/pseuds/Evil_Sapphyre
Summary: Ciely Ryder returns to Kadara for the first time after siding with the Collective. Will everything be as it was promised when she returns?





	Is This Ours?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DragonWyrd316](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonWyrd316/gifts).



It had been thirty-seven days since the Tempest departed Kadara. Not that Ciely was keeping count or anything. And those certainly weren’t butterflies dancing in her stomach as the orange tint of the planet filled the viewport of the cockpit. There was absolutely no reason for her to be nervous. She had come back to Kadara for official Initiative business, to check in on the Outpost.

A certain secret leader of the Collective and handsome smuggler was just a bonus, even if one of the lines from his emails kept creeping back into her mind.

_ You keep playing the hero, and I’ll make sure Kadara stays ours. _

**_Ours._ **

It had been over a month since she had seen him. Was  _ ours _ still in the cards?

Apart from the few emails sent to her, there had been surprising little contact. That was to be expected though, right? This whole thing, this relationship, it wasn’t easy. There was distance to contend with, and the necessity to ensure his secret identity remained just that, secret.

Biting back a snarl, she chided that little voice in her head, the one filling her with doubts. As soon as she was planetside, in Tartarus, he’d be there, waiting - that smug smirk on his face, and there’d be no doubt that the cards were still the same. It would be all jitters, and he’d laugh at her for even thinking that things might have changed.

Ciely released a slow, steady breath as Kallo brought the Tempest into port, shaking her hands to clear the excess energy. The inner war of her psyche continued, making the butterflies in her stomach dance all the more. She told herself though that it was because she missed him, and that was strange enough. She never anticipated finding anything like this in Andromeda, not so soon, and certainly not with the people kicked out of the Initiative. But here she was, eager to return back to the land of the exiles - hurrying to the slums while trying to make it look casual. Fuck, she just wanted to see him again, to throw herself into his arms.

To not come up for air for at least six hours.

All her hopes were dashed though, when she walked into his private room in Tartarus. Her stomach sank to her feet, her throat tightening. Thirty-seven days, and that bastard Reyes Vidal couldn’t even be bothered to be here. Instead, she was greeted with absolutely nothing.

_ Nothing. _

This time, the snarl filled the air as a snap of dark energy shot down her spine. It crackled, searing along her nerves, arcing from her body before she had a chance to repress it. But what did she care if his stupid couch, or his terminal, or even his stupid datapad was damaged in the process.

_ Consider me hacked, my ass. _

Ciely blinked at the words her mind threw at her. The son of a bitch left his datapad. What were the odds that he actually had something pertinent on there? It wasn’t like she was afraid to hack anything, least of all something of his. Stalking over to where she sent the datapad flying, she grabbed it with one hand, turning it over to make sure it was still functional.

Sure enough, it was nothing more than scratched about the edges. Now there was just that pesky encryption to get past. It wasn’t anything that she couldn’t get through, especially with SAM to back her up. At least Sam kept his mouth shut after that biotic flare. She knew it was reckless and stupid, but damn it, she had just wanted to see him.

“A little help here, SAM?” She tapped her fingers along the face of the datapad, staring at the lock that appears on the screen.

**Pathfinder, the passcode seems to be a simple five digit alphanumeric sequence.**

“Oh, a simple one, is it SAM?” The bitter sarcasm laced her voice, as she rolled her eyes. “Guess it can’t be  _ that hard _ .”

**Without further information, there are over 60 million possible combinations. This could take some time unless you could give some insight into Mister Vidal’s mind.**

_ Evidently, not, otherwise I wouldn’t have thought he’d be here. _ The bitterness returned to her gut, twisting and turning, until she huffed out her frustration with a sigh. “You’re on your own there, SAM. Start with slimy, or snake.”

SAM failed to reply her comments. Not that she expected him to. Why she let him do the random grab at the passcode, she pulled the datapad to her mouth, letting out a slow breath until the screen fogged. Tilting it in the dim light of the room, she tried to see if there was any sign of the code. Sure, it was a long shot, but it was better than nothing.

Of course, again, there was  _ nothing _ .

Fuck, she should just head back up to Kadara proper. Drack was certain to be in Kralla’s Song, and she could get drunk as a fucking skunk with him. Drowning her sorrows would be preferable to sitting here, reminded of him.

And then the screen flashed to life, showing a single set of coordinates.

**Pathfinder, I appear to have unlocked the…**

“Yeah, yeah, SAM, I have eyes, and they do work. Most of the time.” Ciely just kept from adding the part about her brain not working of late, or maybe it was her heart. Fuck it if she knew. There were coordinates though, and maybe if she went there, she could give that bastard a piece of her mind.

 

* * *

 

Less than an hour passed before she found herself nearing the coordinates on the datapad. Ciely toyed with the idea of bringing Drack with her, at the very least, and maybe Vetra. Both would be both discreet and mercenary enough to help her, but before she left the port, she decided that it would be best to handle alone. Mostly, she didn’t want anyone to know that the bastard had pulled one over on her.

No, she was more than capable of handling this by herself, and really, her brother Damien was the only one that she would have trusted to have her back right now. And that choice was right the fuck out the window. Much like Ciely wanted to chuck something,  _ anything _ , out the window of the Nomad as she pulled it to a stop and hopped out into the warm air.

Red and violets hues colored the sky as Kadara’s sun sank into the ground. Under other circumstances, the sky would have been lovely, and beautiful, to behold, and to possibly share. If things really were  _ ours _ .

Static rolled through her stomach, her fury almost reigniting, as she stalked the short distance up the side of the mountain. She hadn’t wanted to tip her hand and let that snake bastard know she was here, so she parked a short distance away. Now, the fury of her emotions only grew as she marched towards his location. So help her, he would be lucky if she didn’t light his ass up with a  _ warp _ as soon as she laid eyes on him.

**Ryder…**

_ No, SAM, no. I don’t need you right now. Just… Be quiet. _

SAM obliged, and she continued her silent trek forward. Up ahead, a makeshift wall of crates blocked her view, but she could see the artificial light from power sources radiating up towards the twilight sky. A soft jazz floated to her ears, wrenching at her heart. It was the same song - the very song they danced to right before she left thirty-seven days ago.

He wouldn’t…

She swallowed a lump in her throat, her feet refusing to move forward. Her eyes stung, but she wouldn’t allow any tears. No, no matter if he decided that he couldn’t wait for her, there was no way that he would have planned something like this for just anyone else.

He just couldn't. He…

“I saw the Nomad approaching.” There was a mirth in the tenor of his voice, from just on the other side of the makeshift barrier. “As much as I enjoy a good subterfuge… Well, perhaps we just talk about this?”

Her cheeks flamed, as he called her out. Clearly, thirty-seven days was too long, while else would he want to talk. Right, she could do this; she’d give him a piece of her mind and leave with as much pride as she could. She rolled her shoulders back, lifting her chin, before she strode around the crates.

“Reyes, you no good scoundrel….” The words died on her lips as her eyes spied purple flower petals scattered across a glistening pool of water nestled deep atop the plateau. Several candles burned along the lip of the pool with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses nestled between them.

The artificial light died as the music grew louder. Warm arms wrapped themselves around her waist, hot breath dancing along her ear. “Would you like to finish that thought, my dear Ciely?”

“What… What is this?” She almost didn’t recognize her voice as it escaped her, her mind still trying to take in the full scope of what she was seeing.

Spinning her in his arms, Reyes dipped her low, her hair almost brushing the ground. The candlelight glinted in his amber eyes, joy and love dancing in them. “It has been a long, lonely, thirty-seven days. Perhaps we fix that?”

His lips found hers, a hungry passion spilling from him and swelling inside her. Her hands cupped his face, every doubt and all her fury melting away. Everything was still  _ ours. _


End file.
